Is it more expensive to be a man or a woman?

[astro]

@flight

From least expensive to most expensive (assuming heterosexuality):

Single man
Coupled woman
Single woman
Coupled man

I’d add these caveats from least to most expensive controlling for physical attractiveness

Attractive single woman
Attractive single man = Average single man
Attractive coupled woman
Average coupled woman
Average single woman
Attractive coupled man = Average coupled man

[KarlGrenze]

Astro, the difference between attractive and average, in both men and women, can be the amount of beauty products they buy and use, which would count as a cost to being or keeping that attractive image.

[Broomstick]

@MeanOldLady

I shave my legs, sure, but I don’t buy $10 worth of razors every month.

I’m hairy as a Sasquatch, or would be if I didn’t do anything about it, and I don’t spend $10 on shaving/depilatory supplies in a month.

My point is, because I like repeating myself, that most women don’t need to do all of this stuff every single month.

^ This.

I also think quite a few of us are getting those same things at lower prices. We have to, what with being women and low income. Most of my fanciest clothing is second hand, you’d be surprised how much high quality designer items are out there in the second hand market. True, it does take some time to look through the racks and find it, but so long as it looks sharp no one will ever know where you got it unless you tell them. So don’t tell them.

[even_sven]

All of those things can be found at better prices. I quoted Banana Republic Clothes, Sunglass Hut sunglasses, Bubbles Salon, etc. None of these are discount stores, but none are ultra high end, either. Basically those are the prices you pay if you want to walk in to a mall and come home with something that day.

It’s not hard to find discounts, but the trade off is time (and especially for shopping, time during business hours and weekends)-- which lots of working women simply do not have.

[Hilarity_N.Suze]

It’s more expensive to be a woman, I think. Consider how when your friends get married, if you’re a woman you have to buy a new dress that no one has ever seen before and you may only wear once or twice. If you’re a good friend of the bride you have to buy an expensive dress that you will only wear one, guaranteed. If you’re the bride…well, you know how much those dresses etc. cost. If you’re a guy you wear one of .your suits. If you’re a good friend of the groom you can rent a tux. If you’re the groom, ditto.

Now a man could conceivably buy one tux in college and wear it to everything including his own wedding for the rest of his life. A woman couldn’t do that even if she stayed the same size (unlikely).

If you’re a professional woman and you get pregnant, you have to buy a whole set of different clothe to wear for a few months. Why can’t you rent those? (Note that a lot of circles of friends have a suitcase of these that gets passed around, but even then there’s a problem. I got some very nice things from a woman whose baby was born in September, so she was pregnant during the hot months; my baby was due in June and that year it didn’t get even warm until the second week of June, so those clothes were not warm enough.)

Men get to buy sturdy shoes that last forever, and ditto socks. Women get to buy fragile things that don’t last forever, and pantyhose good for one wearing. Maybe you might wear them more than once. Probably not.

Underwear. As far as I can tell, men’s underwear lasts forever. Women’s panties are much flimsier, and don’t even get started on bras. If you’re an end size, which I am, forget bargains ever. I spend $60 to $100 on bras and it requires a trip to a specialty store.

Maintenance health care is more expensive. The whole menstrual thing costs money. Birth control costs money. As noted, guys have a cheap daily solution or a more expensive but one-time solution, but really that’s on the woman.

Also I figure that the men in my life (husband & sons) only need at most 5 pairs of shoes. Black shoes, brown shoes, tennis shoes, boots, and sandals. I need more.

My husband and I send about the same number of clothes to the dry cleaner every month, but for some reason my bill is usually about $30 and his is $15-18. There is probably a good reason for this but I don’t know what it is.

On the other hand I am fairly shocked that my husband, who has roughly 350 hairs left and keeps them about one-half inch long, has to pay as much for his haircuts as I do, with fairly thick hair that is waist length. And I only need to get it cut twice a year, and he has to go every couple of weeks.

[Broomstick]

@Hilarity_N.Suze

It’s more expensive to be a woman, I think. Consider how when your friends get married, if you’re a woman you have to buy a new dress that no one has ever seen before and you may only wear once or twice. If you’re a good friend of the bride you have to buy an expensive dress that you will only wear one, guaranteed. If you’re the bride…well, you know how much those dresses etc. cost.

…and all that is yet another reason why my spouse and I eloped. Not the only reason. I was told over and over I’d regret it but more than 25 years later no, I haven’t.

[mage-girl]

@faithfool

Okay, after reading this, I may have to turn in my woman card, but, what? I think I can understand the ruining one pair part (due to your period, I guess?), but I’m lost on the rest. Unless someone is a stripper, what difference does it make what color your crotch is on your undies? And I’ve never considered what my hidden garments look like, except to an intimate partner. Who else will see them in a regular line of work? Do you folks have open air communal restrooms or something? Little help grokking this please?

I don’t know how to explain it… Having stains in my panties (however hidden from normal view) grosses me out after awhile.